The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-15
AT THE BAR.
WILLIE wINGARD ON TRIAL FOR
KILLING EDWARD E. THOMAS.

Hands of the Jury-Sensational TeSti-
mony Developed in the Examination
The Defense Stands on Justifiable
Homicide-The Court Room Crowded
Until After Midnight-The Verdict
Anxiously Awaited.
William E. Wingard, the 15-year-olG boy
who shot and killed his stepfather, Edward
E. Thomas, on Sunday, June 10, was
placed on trial for his life in the Superior
Court yesterday morning Wingard was
brought into court about s o'clock and
placed in the prisoners chair. He is a
childish looking boy, with blue eyes, light
brown hair and undeveloped features, but
he wears a stubborn expression that is not
ordinarily found upon the face of one Of
such tender years. As soon as he was seated
he began playing with his handkerchief, and
all day long his handkerchief or fan gave
place, one to the other, in the occupation of
his attention. He gazed steadily at the OBJ
ject with which he was playing, through
most of the day, raising his eyes only now
and then when something of unusual inter
est attracted his attention
THE CRIME.
The crime was committed about o'clock
on the day mentioned above. Sixteen years
ago Miss Tant was married TO William A.
Wingard, at Augusta, Ga. She lived with
him for about four years, but he
drank and failed to provide for her, and she
returned to live with her father He went
to North Carolina, but returned once to
Georgia, aad asked his wife to go to North
Carolina She told him that if he would
return to Georgia and take care of her she
would live with him again, but she would
not leave the State. He went away
and a short time thereafter Mrs Vineyard
received a letter saying that he was dead
Nine years elapsed and nothing more was
heard of him, and Mrs. Wingard married
Edward E. Thomas in Beaufort, S. c. The
story given is that Thomas treated his wife
brutally, and the boys, one of whom is Is,
the other II, knew of some of the
acts of brutality of the stepfather
to the mother. They had lived
with their grandfather and through his
family they learned of how their parents
lived, though some things they had seen
themselves. On the day of the shooting
Willie Vineyard heard of an assault which
Thomas had made upon the boys mother
and arming himself with revolver he ac-
cepted a mission to the house from his
grandmother and after delivering some pies
sent to Mrs. Thomas, sought the room of his
stepfather and deliberately fired two shots
at Thomas, who was on the bed asleep. One
took effect and the wounded man died in a
few minutes.
IMPANELING THE JURY.
Fully three hours were taken up in inn
paneling the jury 1t was not an easy mat
ter to find men to serve The youth of the
accused and the allegations regarding his
cause for the crime made the average jury
man unwilling to serve, and the answers TO
the interrogatOries were such that but few
out of large number could be accepted
The attorneys called nearly the full panel
before they found twelve men in whose
hands the case could be entrusted,
and sworn in. They are the
following named gentlemen: James Nc
Alpin, Jr., John H. Deveaux, Edward b.
Nell, G. w. H. Richardson. George f. Nal
lery, John E. Royal, George F. Reutzler,
Richard H. Bachlott, Calhoun T. Morrell
James O'Keefe, E. A. Silva, Jacob Gardner
When the jury had been selected Solicitor
General duBignon opened the case. Samuel
Adams, Esq, represented the defendant
THE STATES CASE.
Mrs. Peter Murphy was then put on the
stand. She testified that Thomas and his
wife lived with her for nine weeks On the
morning of the shooting, about l 80 o'clock,
Willie Vineyard passed her door and asked
if his mother was in. She told him yes and
he went on up stairs. She heard two shots,
and the boy then came down stairs and ran
across the street.
Peter Murphy testified to seeing the boy
running in the street.
Policeman T. c. Farr received Wingard
at the station house. He said that Willie
had told him that when he was q child his
father slapped his mother in his presence
and threatened to throw her out of the
window, and he had had it in for him ever
since.
Coroner Dixon stated that he received the
pistol from Mr.. Tant, Vineyards grand
father
AT this point the State closed its case. and
the defense put Mrs Thomas on the stand
In few minutes the State brought out evil
dence that created the first sensation of the
day. II was that Mrs. Thomas first hus-
band was alive; that she had never been di-
vorced from him, and that, although she
may have thought him dead when she mar
ried Thomas, she continued to live with
Thomas after she found that Wingard was
alive
THE WIDOWS STORY.
Mrs Thomas testified that she married
Thomas in Beaufort, S. c., three years ago
and soon after the marriage came to Savau-
nah. For the first few months they lived
with her father, James A. Tant, where she
remained until nine weeks previous to the
shooting, except a part of the time, when
she went out TO work. Thomas left Savan-
nah and went into the country
to work Tor Mr.. Mcdonald
Her father was taken sick and she went out
in service to make money TO care for him
Witness wrote to Thomas for money, but he
would not send her any even for medicine
When they went to housekeeping he gave
her barely money enough to run the house,
and sometimes not enough.
Mr.. duBignon objected on the ground that
failure TO provide could not justify the shoot
ing The question was argued, but the OBJ
lection was sustained.
Before witness went to live with Mrs
Murphy she lived with her husband in her
fathers house, but her husband was not
with her much. He was frequently away
The first act of cruelty within the last year
was when she returned from where she was
working Then she met Thomas at her
fathers house He said that if he had
known that she was there he would not have
come. He was drunk. He refused to let
witness go back TO work, but she left next
morning. That day he sent for her and
asked her not TO work out, as il disgraced
him. She told him that she had TO work.
THREW HER OVER THE BED.
He got angry and picked her up and
threw her across the bed. The only thing
that kept her from falling out of the win
dow was that Stats We're nailed across it.
He then refused to let her leave the room
Again he begged her not TO go to work
tl,s.N l..,